Camp Pendleton Marines join reservists at Javelin Thrust

Middle-weight brigade practices for next crisis

Active duty Marines from Camp Pendleton are pitching in for the first time this year alongside Marine reservists at their largest annual exercise, giving part-time and full-time Marines a chance to practice synchronizing their efforts before the next natural disaster or humanitarian crisis.

After years at war together in Afghanistan and Iraq, reserve and active duty forces are integrating operations more closely to prepare for unforeseen future events, including expeditions from amphibious assault ships or remote forests.

Javelin Thrust, a 10-day exercise involving more than 5,000 Marines and sailors, continues through July 29th at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif. and several other southwestern locations.

This is the third round of the annual reserve exercise, which includes a brigade command element of active duty Marines this year. Maj. Gen. Melvin G. Spiese, commanding general of 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, has tactical control of elements of the 4th Marine Division, Air Wing and Logistics Group.

"Javelin Thrust 2011 is a perfect opportunity for 1st MEB to practice what it takes to respond when U.S. and allied interests are threatened or when immediate assistance is needed during non-combat times of crisis," said Col. Brennan Byrne, the brigade chief of staff. "Training like this keeps us ready for when the nation needs us."

The brigade usually deploys with more than 14,000 Marines and sailors, including a reinforced infantry regiment, a composite aircraft group, a logistics group and a command element. It is designed to be a “middle-weight force” that can sprint into action and operate off small ships or austere locations, independent of local infrastructure.

At Bridgeport, that means Marines must coordinate land and air operations in the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevadas and elevations up to 10,000 feet.

The exercise also includes Hawthorne Army Weapons Depot in Nevada and the Marine air station in Yuma, Ariz. The dispersal of Marines throughout several locations mimics the way Marine units operate in war zones like Afghanistan, forcing them to communicate with each other and project combat power and logistics from afar.

"An exercise of this size necessitates that all elements within the Marine Air-Ground Task Force work cohesively to ensure mutual support and mission accomplishment," said Lt. Col. James A. King, the 4th Marine Division’s operations officer and lead planner for Javelin Thrust.

This year's exercise is giving active duty Marines a chance to work side-by-side with their reserve counterparts, “building relationships, sharing experiences and improving the command element’s strategic mobility,” said 1st Lt. Eric Flanagan, a spokesman for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, which comprises the brigade.

“Much like September 11th was a watershed moment for the country and for the Marine Corps, we conduct these training exercises to stay ready to respond to the next global crisis at a moment’s notice,” Flanagan said.